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Finley, Beckie Excited For Chances

By: Adam Jardy

The Columbus Dispatch - January 17, 2013 04:58 PM

INDIANAPOLIS – Ryan Finley had a good feeling something was about to happen.

As he sat next to his mother, Debbie, the forward from Notre Dame watched Montreal select Blake
Smith with the eighth overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. With a sizeable contingent of Crew fans
standing and cheering in expectation of the next pick, Finley’s mother leaned over.

Sure enough, the Crew did, and Finley heard his chanted name echoing through the Indiana
Convention Center.

“I’m a little speechless, but with the fans here cheering my name it was a real special moment
to share with my family,” he said. “I was just lost for words. It was pretty emotional experience
for my life. I’m just really excited to get started in Columbus.”

Finley said he met with the Crew coaching staff while at the MLS Combine during the past weekend
and came away feeling good about his chances with the club.

“They asked what kind of player I am and where I see my strengths,” he said. “Questions along
those lines. It obviously went really well. I’m just excited to get started with the players and
the coaching staff.”

Finley was the 2012 Big East offensive player of the year and a finalist for the Hermann Trophy
after scoring 21 goals in 22 games -- all off the bench -- for the Fighting Irish. He spent two
seasons at Duke, where he scored 28 goals in 39 games, before transferring to Notre Dame. In four
seasons, Finley scored 56 goals in 78 games.

“Look at his record of goal scoring,” Crew head coach Robert Warzycha said. “He scored a lot of
goals for Duke and a lot of goals for Notre Dame. He’s very physical but has a lot of speed. He’s
an overall good player.”

Warzycha pointed to the likelihood that forward Jairo Arrieta will likely spend time with his
national team and the fact that the Crew will take part in the U.S. Open Cup and various friendlies
as reasons why the club felt it needed to address its forward depth.

“We need some more forwards and some more depth,” the coach said. “He’s going to provide that
for us.”

Like Finley, Denver defender Drew Beckie felt good about his chances with the Crew after meeting
the coaching staff during the combine. He was tabbed with the Crew’s second-round pick, the 28th
overall selection.

“I met with them and had a good meeting and felt a good vibe from them,” he said. “I tried to
let my play speak and impress them that way and if it was the right fit, it was the right fit. I
was thinking (I’d be taken in the) second round and I’m excited to go to Columbus. It couldn’t have
gone any better for me.”

As a senior, Beckie was named to the NSCAA All-Far West Region second team after making 20
appearances including 18 starts.

“In terms of central defense, he was one of the guys right there towards the top (of our list),”
McCullers said. “Getting some depth at central defense was one of our objectives. He’s got good
speed, he’s got good size. Overall we came into this draft with some specific objectives and I
think we hit them.”

In four years at Denver, Beckie made 68 starts in 78 appearances. He scored two goals and added
three assists as a senior and finished with seven goals and six assists for his career.

“He’s a good soccer player,” McCullers said. “He’s athletic so he can jump and his timing is
good. That was not a primary factor, but anytime you can get some offense out of a defender is a
good thing. He can get up and find the ball.”

Beckie projects as either a central defender or a right back and will add depth on defense. He
is also a Canadian citizen and has been a member of the U-17 national team and U-20 national team
pool.

“I’ve played for Canada since I was 16,” he said. “Olympic qualifying was good, and we’ll see if
I get a call for the national team soon.”